Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Liliana Gil, one of two Colombians selected by the World Economic Forum as 2011 Young Global Leader

April 11th, 2011The World Economic Forum, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and its exclusive community of Young Global Leaders have announced the class of 2011 Young Global Leaders.

Each year, the World Economic Forum identifies 200-300 extraordinary individuals worldwide. Together, they form a powerful international community that can dramatically impact the global future. Nominated under 40, these young leaders are proposed through a qualified nomination process and assessed according to rigorous selection criteria that creates a diverse and truly representative body, while accepting only the very best leaders who have already demonstrated their commitment to serving society at large.

After tracking and monitoring over 5,000 candidates worldwide, Liliana Gil was selected by a committee chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan and prominent business leaders, politicians and media leaders who appointed a select group of 190 Young Global Leaders.

Liliana is one of two Colombians, next to Juan Carlos Pinzón Bueno, chief of staff to the President of Colombia, and one of 17 from Latin-American, who was hand selected to join this elite group of business and community leaders. She joins a select group of honorees that represent the future of leadership, coming from all regions of the world and representing business, government, civil society, arts & culture, academia and media, as well as social entrepreneurs.

Watch David Aikman, head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, talk about this year's selection.

The YGL class of 2011 is composed of 190 Young Global Leaders from 65 countries and all stakeholders of society (business, civil society, social entrepreneurs, politics and government, arts and culture, and opinion and media). The new class represents all regions: East Asia (50), South Asia (18), Europe (42), Middle East and North Africa (13), sub-Saharan Africa (14), North America (36) and Latin America (17). This year's selection has more gender parity than ever, with 44% women.

"I am honored and humbled to be part of this select group of young leaders. More than ever, I now feel responsible, yet empowered, to amplify both social and business priorities that impact my home country Colombia and the Latino community in the U.S." says Gil. "To this day I am not sure how the nomination process came about.but, it is great to see that all the hard-work and passion I've been sharing all these years, has caught the attention of global leaders at the World Economic Forum."

After a prominent career that made her one of the youngest executives at Johnson & Johnson, Liliana is now an entrepreneur, media contributor and co-founder of XL Alliance, a unique Cultural Marketing & Consulting firm that focuses on advising corporate leaders and businesses to better reach the fast growing multicultural market, particularly Latinos, in America.

About the World Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. http://www.weforum.org/